Come Together
by Raging Raven
Summary: A woman who has had enough with her life in America, goes to England to have a fresh start. Just her luck, she also finds our favorite men. Happens before, during, and after movie. Rated T for adult "themes",slight drug use,and language.REDO
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey everyone, I wanted to redo my story "Come Together" so it could be fresher, better, and more enjoyable. I hope that you like it. Read and enjoy.**

Some people might say that I was running away. Running away from my responsibilities, running away from my problems, but everyone could agree that I was just plain running. And they may be right about that. I was running. I think when you can no longer stand to look at the people you once considered family without wanting to cry, you have a reason to leave. When you can't even stand to look at yourself in the mirror, I think you have a reason to leave. And when you can't put the effort of leaving your home because you know when you do everyone will look at you like your trouble, you have a reason to leave. All I knew is that I couldn't stand being in New Jersey were I'm known as Alexandria Flores; Rafael "The Florist" Flores's daughter.

I needed to breathe . . .

I needed to leave.

Abuela give me strength on what I have to do.

I decided that fate deciding on where I was going to go. Jez, my grandma would be proud. My future was going to be decided by a spinning globe and me touching a spot on it with my eyes closed. Opening my eyes I saw where I was destined to be: England.


	2. Hard Days Night

**A/N: Hello, hello. I am back and I have brought an update with me. I had to do some fine tuning so I hope you like it. I have two things I would like to mention:**

**If anyone knows some great British slang out there please let me know of it and its meaning, I would really appreciate it. **

**I am also somewhat worried about some of the British slang that I used in this chapter because I don't know if I used it in the wrong format/context or not so please let me know about that.**

**Now, enough of this foreplay, let's get started. Please enjoy.**

Alexandria, or known to some people as Alex, has been in London for two days and all she has seen is her hotel room. How pathetic.

She was in a city with so much culture, and history and shops, and all she's done is lie inbed, listen to the rain outside and try to adjust to the time changes. She's already read and reread the hotel pamphlets that were in her room, trying to find any distraction she could to not think about what she has done in the past forty eight hours. She had left her home, and everyone she's ever known to move to a different country. What was she, crazy?

Pacing in her hotel room the size of a cubicle, Alex started to get second thoughts about her decisions. What was she thinking? Running away like she was some disgruntled teenager instead of the twenty six year old that she was. "Abuela, ayuda me."

Alex has been on autopilot ever since she packed her things, and went to the airport. For the past two days she felt a sense of calm and euphoria, but this morning she woke up feeling she was going through some sort of psychological episode.

She had little to no money so she couldn't stay in this "hotel room" for long. All the things she had left in the world were in her father's old army bag. She had no one to rely on because everyone she knew was in a different continent. For the first time in her life she was absolutely alone, and she wasn't so sure if that was necessarily a bad thing.

It would seem that the odds were definitely not in her favor.

Running her hands through her long hair Alex tried to take deep breaths and think positively. It wasn't all bad. Alex was getting a fresh start. She was in a great country. There were new places to explore and new things to experience. And she could probably meet new people who would be a definite improvement from the last people she met. Yeah, all she had to do was just stay positive. She needed to get pumped up, she needed to get energized.

She needed . . . she needed . . . Shit. Who was she kidding? What she really needed right now was a drink.

Alexandria went down to the front desk and asked the clerk where there was a close place around to get a strong drink. The clerk, who she found out was named Ronny, had checked her in and was _especially_ accommodating. Ronny was tall, bony, with sandy hair and looked all of eighteen years old. He also has had a staring problem with her ever since she came in through the front doors. But he was a sweet boy and Alex really needed a little sweetness in her life right now.

After asking Ronny about his night and him asking her how she was enjoying her stay, Alex asked where she can get a stiff drink. He suggested a pub up the street called JD's Bar.

Borrowing an umbrella from Ronny, Alex started to walk in the rain to the direction where JD's was supposed to be. Walking in the rain where the only sound was the impact of rain drops hitting pavement was comforting to Alex. She had always loved a good rain fall, lucky for her, fate choose a good spot for her to restart her life. In only a few minutes, she noticed a building with a neon sign saying JD's bar, and she walked through the door.

JD's would be what Alex would call a real and true bar. Brick walls, warm lighting, and a piano in the corner. It was simple and looked like a pub should look, no glitz or flashing lights like some of the bars in America. JD's bar was a place where you can get a cheap drink and a bar stool to think. It was a kind of place were people could come around after work and relax while taking a few soothing sips before they went home.

Working in bars before she was even legal to step foot in one, Alex knew what a real bar should look like.

Walking up to the bar, Alex grabbed a stool and sat down. She was looking around at the few people there when she heard a voice from behind the bar. "What can I get you love?"Alex turned around to see an older man, with a gruff, wrinkled face and salt and pepper hair, looking at her curiously.

"Oh um, anything that's cheap and has alcohol." She said while scrounging around in her pockets, trying to find the little money she had left in there earlier.

"Keep your money, why don't I buy you a drink." The bartender said, noticing her struggle. He smiled at her when she looked up at him.

"Oh no I couldn't-" She started but he cut her off.

"'Tis no trouble. Besides, I rarely get the opportunity to buy a beautiful woman a drink now a days." He said, winking at her.

Alexandria smiled at him. This man was very sweet to her. She had been feeling out of it for a while now and to have a complete stranger do something as simple as buying her a beer meant a lot to her.

"Thank you." She said finally.

"S'nothing my dear if it's worth seeing you smile like that." She continued to smile while the bartender left and came back with two bottles of English beer that Alex didn't recognize. "Alan's me name." He said holding out his free hand.

"Alexandria." She said while shaking his wrinkled hand.

"All right. We don't get many Spaniard lookers like yourself 'round here. We especially don't get many Yanks either."Alan said, while handing her a bottle of beer she didn't recognize. "Many of these tourists are arse over elbows for pubs that have gimmicks."She couldn't help but laugh. "They never want to see a true English pub. Bloody disgrace that is." He sighed and took a quick swallow of brew. "Oh well, that be there loss."

Alex lifted her bottle up to clink gently with Alan's "Yeah, that's there loss. If they don't want to find out about a place like this, and a man like you, than they can go screw themselves."

Alan smiled at her. "You're a good girl Alex."

The moment between the young woman and the older man was interrupted by a loud bellow.

"Oi! Alan! Can I get a drink here, I'm about to die of thirst." A man with short black hair said at the far end of the bar. Alex looked at him, even though he had pale skin and a slightly thin, going on lean, frame, he was quiet handsome. Not really her type of guy but good looking none the less.

"Keep your knickers on Ed, don't you see I'm talking to someone." Alan said to him. He then turned back to Alex, "Excuse me a moment dear, you would think the boy wasn't born with manners, let me deal with the shitter and then we can finish our chatter." He gave her a smile before he turned his back. "And if you want a bloody drink get over here and get it yourself. I'm not your sodding waitress!" He yelled at the man apparently called Ed while moving around the bar, muttering. "No good boy, always coming around being a pain in my arse."

Alex tried to contain her laughter but failed miserably and laughed loudly. When she finally could take a breath again she finished the rest of her drink.

Ed and his mates were just sitting around his dad's pub, playing cards and tossing back a few pints. Ed was feeling like it was a great way to end the week. Bacon and he got a nice chunk of change from some saps on the street today, Tom gave Ed a particularly good deal on a leather coat he's been having his eyes on, and Soap just lost his hand, winning Ed another game of Euchre. _This is what life is all about_, Ed thought while collecting his winnings. Noticing the sour looks his mates were giving him for winning yet again, Ed decided to do something completely out of the ordinary for him. Something he would hardly ever do, something that would leave a bitter taste in his mouth, something that he would rather swallow boulders than do what he was about to do. "Alright Chaps, who wants a pint on me?" He said quickly, while getting up from the table. Noticing the questioning looks on his mate's faces he asked what was wrong.

"Have you hit your head or something?" Soap asked "Is this the after effects of a concussion?" Making his other friends Bacon, and Tom laugh.

"What are you going on about?"Ed asked starting to get slightly pissed.

"What Soap is trying to ineloquently say is considering you're extremely rare sense of generosity since first meeting you in the sandbox, you suddenly deciding to _willingly _buy us a round has thrown all of us a bit off." Tom said, ignoring the glare that Soap was giving him.

"Yeah Ed, your cheaper than shit. "Bacon added bluntly. "Even if you were dead tomorrow no one would be able to pry your purse from your cold, lifeless fingers."

"Thanks a lot. Now I'm going to get a pint with the money that I won off all of you wankers." Ed finally having enough walked angrily to the bar. "Oi! Alan! Can I get a drink here, I'm about to die of thirst." That didn't exactly go over very well with Alan, considering his cursing Ed and what not.

Alan was not only the bartender; he was also one of his dad's oldest friends. For as long as Ed knew him, Alan never let him get away with anything, never took any of his shit. That was probably why he liked Alan so much; he always gave it to him straight, even when he didn't want to hear it.

Ed was starting to get comfortable on the stool when he over heard the laughter of the woman Alan was talking to before he interrupted them. When he was sitting with his friends he had only seen the back of this person, but now that Ed was closer to the bar he could see that she was a very beautiful woman. She was wearing a blue stretched long sleeve sweater that complemented her caramel skin and did a marvelous job of covering her full breasts. She had long, thick, sable, wavy hair that flowed down to a tiny waist and curving hips. With all that there was to this woman, what really drew Ed to this woman was her face. A face that was soft, angelic, and a bit sad.

Knowing that people shouldn't drink alone, especially ones that were in need of a good laugh and a good time, Ed got up and started walking to her. Right when he was next to her, that plan went to shit when he was intercepted by Alan. Good old Alan.

"And another thing, I best not catch you and your mates messing up this bar again. Last time all four of you were here it nearly took me two and a half hours to get this place to its proper order. Now if you don't want to get your skinny arse beaten by me or worse your father I suggest you and your friends stay out of my face." Alan finished, shoving a drink into Ed's hands.

Ed at this point was bright red with embarrassment. Just when he was about to speak to a hot young woman, he gets disciplined like a child right in front of her. _And here I thought I was having a good day_, he thought. Ed turned around, going back to his table, hoping to drink away his humiliation.

**Thanks for reading, hopefully there is more to come soon. Constructive criticism is always welcome so let me know what you think. **

**Until next time, bye loves.**


	3. Things We Said Tonight

**A/N: Hello, hello. This is a long chapter (8 pages, yah) and I had so much fun writing it. **

**I have two things I would like to mention again:**

**If anyone knows some great British slang out there please let me know of it and its meaning, I would really appreciate it. **

**I am also somewhat worried about some of the British slang that I used in my chapters because I don't know if I used it in the wrong format/context or not, so please let me know about that.**

**Now, enough of this foreplay, let's get started. Please enjoy.**

_Well, that was embarrassing,_ Ed thought as he reached his table. Soap and Tom were in the middle of another card game. "Have you stopped your crying yet, or do you need a tissue?" Bacon said, as his other friends snickered.

But Ed wasn't listening to them, he was watching the mysterious woman at the bar starting to get up and walk towards the jukebox. Bacon, noticing Ed's lack of attention, looked at the object of his distraction. "Fuck me. Will you look at her?"

"What?" said Soap.

"Where!" Tom said looking up quickly.

"Next to the jukebox you idiots." Ed answered with exasperation.

All of them were now thoroughly entranced by this beauty. They all watched her pick a song, a song that was perfect for what all four men were feeling at that very moment, "I Want You" by the Beatles.

It looked like she was about to walk back to the bar but then she bent to pick something off the floor.

"Jes-ass!" Said Tom

"Whose's ineloquent now you arsehole." Said Soap.

"Well, when you see a bird like that you are bound to say something stupid."

"Have you ever seen her before Ed?" Bacon asked curiously, finally turning away from the beauty to speak with his friend.

"No I haven't, but lord knows we all wouldn't mind getting to know her better."

Alexandria almost felt sorry for the guy as he walked away, looking all red with embarrassment and such. But she also needed to respect Alan for being a no nonsense type of man. She knew plenty well how people tend to act up in bars so you needed to set the ground rules straight before the patrons start walking all over you. Oh bien.

Savoring her drink she started to reminisce about her father. He would take her to bars like this for as long as she could remember. Always after school when there was hardly any people around the bar. He would usually talk to the owners or some other big honcho at a nearby table, while she was at the bar, drinking a soda, doing her homework or just talking with the people that worked there. They didn't mind talking to a cute and curious kid, it was better than actually having to work. But she was always more curious on what her dad would discuss with less than reputable people for hours at a time. Alex wouldn't know the answer to that until she grew a little older.

Noticing that Alan was busy with some customers, Alex went to the jukebox and looked through the selection they had. Much to her delight, but not truly surprised, they had a wide range of Beetles songs to choose from. She finally decided on one of her favorites, "I Want You."

Turning around Alex noticed a wallet on the floor. Picking it up, she walked back to the bar and opened it to see if there was any ID to find the owner. She realized that it was the same guy that was yelled at by Alan earlier. Looking around the bar she spotted the back of him at a table with three other men, and started walking over to him.

All men slowly averted their eyes from the woman as she went to the bar.

"She's not from around here I can tell you that" Said Soap, going back to his cards.

"Doesn't matta, she's providing a much needed service here. There hasn't been a female that good looking here since . . . since Ed here decided to wear a dress last year. A real gender bender that was."

"Fuck off!" Ed yelled at a now laughing Tom.

"Alright Nancy, calm down. I had to say something to spook you out of that stupor of yours." Tom said while looking back at his cards. "But I suppose you can't help but be caught off guard by a hot, Cuban woman, with a fine arse, and a pair of knockers that-" He was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Excuse me."

Ed slowly turned around, almost afraid of what he'd find, but he already knew who spoke. It was _her_. "You dropped your wallet." She said while holding his wallet out towards him. Ed had taken it out to pay Alan but must have left it behind somewhere.

Ed gently took the wallet out of her hand and cleared his throat. "Thank you." She smiled back at him.

"You're welcome." She turned around, about to walk away.

"Wait!" Ed scrambled up from his chair. She stopped and turned back to him. "I'm Ed." He said while holding out his hand to shake hers.

"Yes, I know. I overheard Alan say some things about you. Apparently you are a major pain in his _arse_." She said, putting a British tilt in the end. Ed chuckled at this. "Oh, and speaking of asses. She turned to Tom with a smile. "Just so you known, to make sure there's no confusion. I'm a hot _Puerto Rican_ woman with a nice ass, not Cuban." She walked back to the bar as Ed, Bacon, and Soap exploded with laughter, laughing at their friend who had the misfortune of having a big mouth. Tom didn't even have the grace to blush in embarrassment, but laughed along with the rest of his friends.

Alex smiled as she came back to the bar and found Alan coming back around in front of her.

"Where were you? Thought you ran off or somethin'." She smiled at his worry.

"No, I was returning something to that man you were yelling at before."

"You need to clarify on who that was, love. I yell at many a men around here."

"He said his name was Ed."

As Ed managed to breathe again without laughing, he noticed the absence of the woman and quickly found her sitting at the bar talking to Alan. Walking towards her he overheard their conversation and leaned against the bar.

"Yes, that's my name, but I still don' t know yours."

"I don't think I should give my name to a man I don't know who apparently likes to wear women's clothing." Alex said with a slick smile on her face.

"What the hell is wrong with you lad?" Said Alan, looking at Ed with a mixture of disgust and confusion. To be honest it was probably more disgust than confusion.

Ed only ignored him; he couldn't believe that she had heard everything he and his mates were talking about. If women wanted to hear what men talked about when they weren't around then men would have to turn either gay, or in to monks, because no woman would ever want to be around them and their caveman like minds. "Did you overhear the entire conversation?"

"No. I only heard the more interesting parts." She smiled innocently at him. "I'm Alexandria."

"Well Alex, can I buy you a drink? It's the least I could do considering you rescued my wallet from being kidnapped, violated and possibly sodomized by the patrons of this fine establishment." He said while swinging his arm around the bar, showing her the other people that could have picked his wallet up instead of her.

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?"

"I'm English." He said simply, as if that explained everything. "Besides, I doubt any of these wankers would give two thoughts on bringing me wallet back. Thank goodness for me you are different."

Alex laughed slightly inside her head. With a father like hers you would think she would have no problem of just keeping his wallet for herself. But growing up the way she did she wanted to live differently from the way her father, and many of their friends, lived their lives.

"Alan, I'll have two bottles for me and the misses, thanks." Said Ed, flashing a smile at Alan, trying to make up for there earlier tiff.

Alan just grumbled as went on his way talking about Ed being a no good piss-artist.

"So, you must know Alan well for him to speak so warmly of you." Alexandria said, heavy with sarcasm.

"You can say that, I've known Alan all me life. I was just a little tyke following him around causing mischief wherever I go."

"Now, I suppose, you a grown man causing mischief wherever you go. And you still manage to piss off Alan. That's quite an accomplishment."

"Thank you." Alan came back holding out two dark bottles of beer. "Now that we have received our refreshments would you like to retire at a table with me mates? There looking a bit lost without me."

Looking at the table with his friends she could see that they all were looking a bit down.

"Awe, they look like they just lost there favorite toy or something."

"Be careful, they might just want to play with you."

"Should I be afraid?" She questioned playfully at him.

"Only of the tiny one," He said pointing to Soap, and smiled at her. "Be aware of any sudden movements."

As they reached the table Ed started making the introductions. "Alex, I would like you to meet my friends. Starting off we have Soap, then Tom, and Bacon." Alex shook the hands of all the men as they were being introduced. "Chaps, I would like to introduce you to a woman you wished you could have around your arm, Alexandria."

Alex contemplated for a moment before speaking. "That's interesting that_ your_ name is Bacon considering your friend Tom here is a pig." She said, giving Tom a playful wink.

"Cheeky one she is." Bacon mumbled to Tom with a smile, he can tell he liked this woman already.

"My most humble and deepest apologies madam for speaking like the horrid rake that I am" Tom said, while he bowed with a flourish to Alex.

"Well . . . you weren't kidding Ed. Men in this country are very dramatic." Alex said while looking cautiously at Tom who was still in a bowing position.

"For God sakes Tom, will you get up? You in that position makes your belly roles more noticeable." Said Soap, being simple and blunt as he always was.

"Shut it you git."Tom said, but straitened himself out anyway.

"So Alex, tell us." Bacon said as the other men were settling down and going back to their cards. "How long have you been in our fine country?"

"Not too long, a few days."

"And what do you think about it so far?" Tom questioned.

"To be honest, I haven't really seen much of anything here to make a solid opinion." Alex answered before taking a drink of her beer.

"Well seems to me you need someone to show you the sites, in fact, I can show you all kinds of things." Bacon finished with a few wiggles of his eyebrows.

Alex laughed aloud, "You Englishmen are also very flirtatious."

"Well, what can I say, it's a gift really. Some of us were born with it better than others." Bacon explained while pointing discretely at Tom.

"Enough of this Bacon, let's play some cards." Ed started shuffling the deck of cards with a speed and fluidity that it started to make Alex dizzy. "Do you play cards Alex?"

"A bit." She answered evasively.

"Well let me deal you in, you might learn something Yank." Ed and the others shared a smirk that was filled with the famous European cockiness.

Two hours later Bacon, Tom, and Soap had each respectfully lost their money in an almost even split between Alex and Ed. Throughout the game all the men had slowly realized that Alex was a tough and worthy competitor. And she had one of the best poker faces that Ed had ever seen. The little twitches, or hints that someone would give when they had a good or bad hand, were nearly unrecognizable with her. She was a cool one, she was. Before he even knew what happened, Ed had lost two hands to her.

In between all the betting, card shuffling and drinking, the men learned some things about Alex, and she learned a few things about them. For instance, they learned that Alex was a complete action film buff and had a dire fear of romance movies. Alex learned that Soap was a chef at a nearby restaurant and that Tom had, what he felt, a thyroid problem which was one of the reasons he couldn't lose weight as quickly as other people. But when he said this, the others grumbled loudly making Alex wonder if Tom really had a problem or he just couldn't admit to himself that he can't say no to spotted dick. Spotted dick being his favorite desert, and ate it almost weekly.

Alex couldn't believe that she was so brazen with these men. They all made her laugh and smile. Almost making her feel like the person she used to be before the disaster with her father happened. And most importantly, they made her forget for a little while that her life was a complete mess. For that she was greatful.

"So, Alex, how did you become so good at cards? Not too many people can say that they beat ol' Ed here." Soap wondered, losing at yet another hand of cards.

"I don't really know. I just kind of picked it up from people here and there." Alex answered, leaving a lot unsaid. Like the fact that when she went to bars with her dad, some of the people that worked there would play cards with one another. Well, Alex was curious to see what they were doing so she would watch them play and occasionally ask questions, not long after Alex had them teach her how to play. As time passed Alex got better and better. Everyone thought it was cute that there was this small kid beating people in cards who were four times her age. For her father, well, he couldn't have been more proud. _Daddy's little hustler_, she mused. People thought that she was a natural, but to Alex, it was just a way to pass the time.

"Well all, we'll be closing up shop in a just minute." Alan's voice interrupted the five from their finale game.

"Jez-us, what time is it?" Tom asked through a yawn, while he stretched out on his chair.

"Eleven." Answered Ed as he quickly gathered the playing cards in to a neat deck and stuffed that into his pocket.

"Yeah, and it's about time." Said Alan tiredly, as he started to straighten up the pub.

Alex got up from the table to go help the older man. "Alan, let me help you with that. You shouldn't have to do this all by yourself."

"No no. I'm alright, there is no need-" Alan tried to stop Alex from helping but she was having none of that.

"It's okay Alan. I don't mind, besides I've worked in bars before and I know that cleaning up in places like this can be a major pain in the ass." Alex explained as she easily started putting away the clean mugs, and throwing away empty bottles. "Why don't you go count the tills while I finish up here? It will give you a chance to get off your feet for a bit."

"Alex, love, you're an angel. Thank you." Alan ended his appreciation with a smile at her.

As Alan left to the back office Ed slowly shook his head from side to side. "Do you know that I have seen that old man smile more today than I have in my entire life?"

Alex only smiled a small smile at him as she got back to work. After a few minutes scrubbing down the tables and throwing any loose trash in to the garbage Alex had the lazy men around her help out with the rest of the cleaning. When Alan came back, he was shocked to see that the pub was nearly spotless.

"Well done Alex." Alan exclaimed.

"Awe well I couldn't have done it without my little helpers." She said, while giving Tom's and Soap's cheeks a gentle squeeze.

"If you ever need a job let me know, we could use a girl like you around here."

"Oh, Alan, I don't know-"

"Oh don't be silly Alex." Ed interrupted. "It's a great job, good money, and you get to see us about every day. What's not to love?"

"Well . . ."

**This is a chapter that I am really proud of and I hope all of you out there liked it. **

**Reviews, either good or bad, are always welcome so please let me know what you think.**

**Until next time. **

**Bye loves.**


	4. Crying, Waiting, Hoping

**A/N: Hello, hello. As always, I would like to mention:**

**If anyone knows some great British slang out there please let me know of it and its meaning, I would really appreciate it. **

**I am also somewhat worried about some of the British slang that I used in my chapters because I don't know if I used it in the wrong format/context or not, so please let me know about that.**

**Now, enough of this foreplay, let's get started. Please enjoy.**

******1234567890****1234567890**

Alex couldn't decide what she was going to do about the offer from Alan. Sure it sounded like a great idea, and lord knows she needed the money, but she still wasn't sure. Maybe it was because the offer was so sudden and out of the blue, or maybe it was because it has been a long time since anyone had been so nice to her. Either way she told Alan that she would think about it, and would tell him what she decided by the end of the week.

The rain had stopped when the gang left the pub. Alex decided to walk to the hotel that night after declining an offer from Ed to give her a ride back. The hotel wasn't that far away and Soap volunteered to walk with her just in case there were any "baddies" around.

The night smelled fresh as Alex inhaled a deep gulping breath. There was no noise other than the light footsteps' of Alex and Soap. Calm. She couldn't remember the last time she was this calm. Relaxed even . . .

Alex looked over at Soap and noticed that he wasn't a big talker at the bar, didn't have as big a personality as Bacon or Tom, or even Ed. He was the silent one. The Tonto of the group if you will. He was the type of person who would talk only when he had something significant to say. He didn't need endless, meaningless, small talk. Soap didn't seem to mind silence which made it easy for Alex to be around him because she didn't have to struggle to think up a topic of conversation, . . . or dodge any unwanted questioning. Or so she thought.

They had walked all the way to the hotel entrance were Alex was about to say goodnight to Soap when he decided to ask her some things that she had hoped to avoid that night.

"So, I noticed you never really told us why you came to England." He said looking at her a little more than curiously.

"Oh, well, I guess you could say I just needed a change of scenery." Alex said simply as she walked into the hotel, followed quickly by the now more curious Soap.

Walking through the lobby Alex found Ronny now asleep over the hotel check-in counter, not wanting to disturb the boy Alex left the umbrella by his snoring head.

"Some security he is." Soap commented as he followed Alex who was quickly climbing up the stairs. She was hoping that he would drop the subject, but he didn't. He easily kept up with her pace and went up the stairs.

"So, you came over three thousand miles for a change of scenery?" Soap asked dubiously, clearly not buying her explanation. "For some reason, I just can't see you doing that. Now come on Alex. Why did you really come here? Is it because of the fish and chips?"

"No."

"Is it because of our 'fantastic' weather?"

"No."

"Is it the tea, you are an obsessive tea drinker then." She simply shook her head as she reached a hall filled with numbered doors. "So you came for no particular reason? I don't buy that. Tell me honestly Alex. You can trust me. Why would you come all this way -?"

"Just drop it Soap!"Alex said, turning around to him, clearly fed up with Soap's questioning. Any sense of calm she had within her was torn apart, and all that was left were uncontrolled emotions.

She closed her eyes and leaned on a door that Soap guessed led to her room. When Alex finally opened her eyes, she looked at him with tired, watery eyes. "Just drop it." She said quietly.

**1234567890****1234567890**

Soap looked at her with sympathetic eyes. He could tell that life wasn't being very kind on Alex for quite some time now and she was trying to find a way out. She was trying to start anew. That was something he could sympathesize with. His life wasn't filled with peaches and cream either, it was more like paprika and cayenne. His friends knew that he had a somewhat dark past that he never talked about. He did things that made him feel guilty for a very long time, but he was trying to get over it, just like Alex was trying to get over whatever happened in her life.

**1234567890****1234567890**

Soap wasn't looking at Alex with fake sympathy or pity, but with understanding. And even though they didn't know each other long, in that moment a bond was formed between the two. She knew that whatever she told Soap he wouldn't judge her and for that she was grateful.

They stayed like that for a few moments, simply looking at one another until Soap yet again broke the silence between them. "Alex, if you don't ever want to tell me why you came here that's fine. But I want you to know, that if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here. You can trust me."

She did want to tell him, she really did. She wanted to let this burden off her shoulders and just tell anybody what happened. But she wasn't ready, she just wasn't ready. She offered Soap a sad smile instead and said, "I know that Soap. Thank you."

She opened her door ready to go in and take a long needed rest when she stopped and faced green-eyed, shaggy haired Soap. "Do you think I should take that bartending job Alan offered me?"

"If you are worried about him or any other bloke over there, don't be. Alan yells a lot but he's harmless and if anyone gives you grief than it's lucky for you that you have your own personal set of bodyguards at your beck and call. And I think that goes especially for Tom. From the way he was drooling all over you tonight I get the feeling he fancies you."

"Really, and I thought he was being subtle." Alex shared a smile with Soap and said goodnight.

**1234567890****1234567890**

As Alex was resting on her bed later on that night, she was thinking about the offer from Alan. She was arguing with herself because she almost felt like she was getting a hand out from someone who felt sorry for her but she knew that that wasn't what it was at all. Alan was simply being sweet and helpful to her, and she would be around the guys, who were really great to her. But, she reminded herself, she was trying to be independent now and only rely on herself. However, how can she rely on herself when she had almost no had no money? Boy was she confused.

She kept going back and forth until she made a deal with herself: If she couldn't go out and find a job by the end of the week then she would accept Alan's offer. At least with this she could say that she tried to do this herself.

Snuggling in to her pillows and close to sleep, Alex decided that tomorrow she would search and get a job . . . At least she hoped.

******1234567890****1234567890**

**Thank you guys so much, you all rock. I really hope you like what I write. **

**Reviews are always welcome so please let me know what you think.**

**Until next time. **

**Bye loves.**


	5. Help! I need somebody, HELP!

**Hi everyone, I'm really sorry for not updating for so long. I'm not going to bore you with the details of my personal life so I'm just going to apologize and thank everyone that has ever reviewed or even took the time to read my story. I'm not going to promise that I'm going to update every week like some people do and they never do giving false hope to everyone, but I do promise to spend more of my attention and time on this story.**

**Obviously I own nothing.**

**Now, enough of this foreplay, let's get started. Please enjoy.**

When the weekend arrived, Alex walked back towards JD's bar. She had kept the promise to herself and for the past few days tried to find any available jobs in the surrounding area. The results . . . well let just say they didn't exactly go in her favor. _That's putting it fucking mildly_, she thought. Especially at the last interview in a rundown office building where the head manager in charge took great delight in telling Alex of their clothing optional policy and then proceeded to rub his sweaty hand on her thigh. Her knuckles were still bruised after that encounter, but they were nothing compared to the mess that she left for his more than grateful secretary to find. God knows how long that poor girl suffered under his perverted eyes, but it made Alex smile thinking that he would be out of commission, and out of the office, until they at least found his other testicle.

As Alex opened the door to the bar she became instantly aware of the massive assault of drunken fools bombarding the one man bartender. Of course, she knew that bars were always busy on weekends but Christ, this was ridiculous. Blasted boozers to the right, left, and one even trying to climb up the piano. You would think that the descendents of the Tudor era, the Victorian era, the Beatles era, they would conduct themselves with bit more civility. Not acting like Alex did when she tried Absinthe for the first time at Mardi Gras. She didn't remember much but she did wake up in bed with a shit load of beads.

Alex scanned around the place looking for any of the guys but couldn't find them. Thinking that she might have better luck finding them at the counter Alex started making her move. With a lot of clever maneuvering and a well placed elbow to the guts of a couple of grabby drunks, Alex finally reached her destination. She didn't see any of the guys but what she did see was Alan who was not only manning the bar by himself but was also two steps away from stabbing someone repeatedly with a corkscrew.

Alex squeezed in between a group of loud pendejos at the bar and tried to get Alan's attention.

"Alan. Alan! What the hell is going on?!"

"Blimey, Alex. Thank God you're ére. We're all up to pot! These duffers are the local football team, they won their championship match about an hour ago and everyone that was at the fucking game seems to be ére now! They decided the best way to celebrate is to put an old man in to an early gra- Hold the fuck on, you rat arsed little bastard!" Alan yelled at an unyielding man who was trying to grab a bottle of beer over the counter.

"Alright, well I guess that settles it then." Hearing and seeing enough Alex decided to take action. She then proceeded to jump over the counter and assist Alan. She quickly assessed where the bottles and glasses were and, as efficiently as possible, Alex got into the grove of things: Opening a bottle of beer with one hand, while pouring a glass of whiskey with the other. Divvying up change for one customer, while chatting it up with another.

123456789123456789123456789123456789

With her help, Alan quickly got some of the burden lifted off of him and felt he can now breathe without threatening one of these bastards with a soon and impending death. Since Alex had a handle of the bar better than he did on his best day, Alan decided he would help by handing out drinks to the faithful regulars and older people at the back tables were it would put less strain on them and on the front bar.

123456789123456789123456789

It was definitely a challenge at first but Alex was used to being a bartender for so many years that her body seemed to be going on autopilot. It didn't really matter what country she was in, the drinks don't really change when you're dealing with a whole bunch of rowdy sports fans, be it New Jersey or England. The one thing that should have been at least a challenge was the exchange of money but since she was a woman, dealing with money was inherently in her DNA and didn't have a problem with new currency.

Alex smiled to an older customer as she gave him back his change. After wishing him a goodnight, Alex proceeded to wipe down the counter while the well-used glasses were being washed in the back by Alan. As she was concentrating on scrubbing at an especially stubborn spot she did not notice a furious man walk behind the bar until he grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her around to face him. The man must have been at least half a foot taller than her and he used every one of those inches to try and tower over her so she could get a clear look into his cold blue eyes.

With a disgusted curl on his lips he yelled, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?"

"I'm the girl who is going to break a forty dollar bottle of scotch upside your head if you don't let go of me." Never one to be intimidated by a man again, Alex then proceeded to show him said scotch bottle with a disgusted curl on_ her_ lips

"Oh really well I might be the one who throws you on your arse if you don't get out of here!"

"I'd like to see you try old man!"

123456789123456789123456789

Hearing the loud argument in progress, Alan quickly stopped what he was doing, rushed behind the bar and jumped in between his tiny friend and his longtime friend.

"JD, this is Alex, she is helping us out tonight."

"Really, since fucking when?"

"Christ, must every other word coming out of your mouth be _fuck_? And why are you so upset in the first place, if it wasn't for me you guys would have been in the hole tonight!"

"If you're not careful half pint the least of your worries will be my vocabulary."

"You're going to threaten me; you should be kissing my ass in gratitude."

"Alright, alright, that is enough you two!" Alan looked towards his boss. "JD, I couldn't man the bar by myself tonight since you fired that wanker from Waddock two weeks back, we need Alex. She's a hard worker and she obviously knows what she's doing." He then spun towards Alex. "And you my darling girl, as much as I adore you I won't have you antagonize my boss because he's a hard ass, you two would fight it out all night. So my suggestion to both of you is to stay out of each other's way."

As the night progressed things had continued to go smoothly except for the occasional spat between JD and Alex; something about getting in each other's work space or personal space or outer space or whatever.

123456789123456789123456789

When it was close to closing time Bacon and the guys came in through the front door and sat at the bar.

"Ah, I see you've made yourself comfortable."

"I knew you would be back, you couldn't resist us."

"Yeah, and I couldn't resist a paycheck either, Tom. You guys do realize that we're going to close in like five minutes."

Ed leaned into the counter and grabbed Alex's hand. "We do realize this love but we intend to use everyone one of those minutes to get pissed as coots." He lightly kissed her hand as the others laughed in good nature.

"Fine, what can I get you guys?" As Alex got their drink order she let out a long and loud yawn.

"Rough night love."

"You could say that Soap." Alex walked around the counter and sat in the empty stool next to him and Ed, resting her tired body. "My night basically consisted of random men yelling belligerent drink orders while avoiding groping hands trying to conduct what I think were "physical examination" and having shouting matches with my potential boss." She took a deep breath and a sip Soap's water. "So, all in all it wasn't a bad night. It could have been worse. Besides, that group tips really well." She enficised her point as she slapped a bundle of money on the counter.

As the other three whistled in appreciation at the stack of bills, Ed had a thought. "Wait, did you say that you had a shouting match with your potential boss?"

"Yeah, crew cut, bad suit, worse attitude. You met him before right? You said you come in here all the time, you guys must have me him once or twice."

"If only we were given that option."Tom muttered to Soap.

"You could say we know him very well, that _pleasant _fellow is Ed's dad." Bacon said with fake pride.

"Really? Wow Ed I'm so sorry." Getting slightly pissed Ed shrugged off Bacon and Alex's sympathetic pats on his shoulder.

"Alright, alright. He's my father; I didn't get diagnosed with cancer."

"The lesser of the two evils in my opinion." Soap muttered to Tom.

"Why didn't you tell me your father was the owner?"

"You didn't know? Well, what did you think I meant when I said if you took this job you would see us every day?"

"Not that your dad owns the place, but maybe you guys were borderline alcoholics. I don't know."

"She's not far from the truth there."Tom muttered back to Soap as they tapped glasses in congratulations of their defaults.

"If I knew that that was your daddy I would have called him an asshole a lot less." Alex said with obvious false honesty.

"I kind of doubt that."Soap muttered to Tom.

"Will you two stop that!"Ed snapped at Tom and Soap as the two laughed among themselves like a couple of school girls. "You're acting like the two old men from the Muppet Show."

"Oh, oh, what were their names? Um, uh, I know this. I know this." Alex thought to herself in what the boys could only guess was her thinking face which they all thought was completely adorable."They were Stalin and Winston. Hah, I knew I would remember I'm awesome like that." With a smile of self congratulations Alex then hopped off the bar stool and walked behind the counter.

"Sweetheart, they were Statler and Waldorf." Tom patted Alex's head like you would a little girl. "It's alright though, no need to fret. With looks like yours you don't need to know a lot of things."

"With that being the case Tom you would be the smartest man on the planet." As the guys laughed at Soap's insult at Tom, JD came up behind them. That was the thing that annoyed the guys the most about JD, he was never seen coming up to you; he only appeared.

"Alex, come on. I'd like a word with you." JD then walked back to where his office was, knowing full well that she would follow behind him.

"Goody for you."Bacon emphasized with false cheer.

"Go suck a duck Bacon." Snatching his beer Alex then followed after JD.

**Showdown comes next, -grins- **


End file.
